{"id":83786,"date":"2026-07-14T15:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83786"},"modified":"2026-07-15T20:30:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:30:40","slug":"there-is-no-climate-justice-without-adequate-housing-argue-leaders-at-first-brazilian-housing-and-climate-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83786","title":{"rendered":"\u2018There Is No Climate Justice Without Adequate Housing,\u2019 Argue Leaders at First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The current state of a home damaged by a 2019 storm in Vidigal, in Rio’s South Zone. Photo: Igor Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The climate crisis is often framed around floods<\/a>, landslides<\/a> and heat waves<\/a> produced by extreme weather<\/a>. For those living in Brazil\u2019s favelas and peripheral areas, protection thus begins with safe housing<\/a> and security of tenure<\/a>. On July 11, at the first Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum<\/a> in Bras\u00edlia, speakers and participants advocated for strategies to strengthen communities in the face of the climate crisis, including social rent<\/a> and Community Land Trusts (CLT<\/a>s).<\/p>\n

\"Current<\/a>
Current condition of a home affected by the 2019 storm, seen from inside another home affected by the same extreme weather event. Photo: Igor Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The forum was organized by TETO Brasil<\/a> and the Community Real Estate Rental Fund (FICA<\/a>). Public officials, researchers and community leaders present argued that housing must occupy a central place in climate change<\/a> adaptation policies<\/a>, recognizing that people experiencing housing vulnerability<\/a> are precisely those most exposed to extreme weather events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the forum\u2019s panels that attracted the most attention focused on a question that is rarely addressed in public debate: must the right to affordable housing<\/a> necessarily be linked to homeownership<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Subsidized rental housing was also discussed as a way to build climate resilience through social housing. Specialists and leaders defended housing policies that go beyond the building of new units to incorporate new ways of guaranteeing security of tenure and access to the city<\/a>. Subsidized rental housing was presented as a housing access policy capable of reducing forced displacement and protecting communities from the effects of real estate speculation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Among the participants was Zulema Calizaya Choque, a beneficiary of the FICA Fund\u2019s subsidized rental housing program, who brought to the debate the perspective of someone who experiences the challenges of accessing housing firsthand. Also participating was Evaniza Rodrigues, an activist with the Housing Movements Union of S\u00e3o Paulo State (UNM), who emphasized that expanding the housing debate also means discussing new forms of collective ownership<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI secured a low-cost rental unit. Before, I didn\u2019t have the luxury of getting sick because I had to work to pay really high rent. I think that over those 20-odd years I would have paid for a home with the amount I spent on rent\u2026 maybe I could afford [to own] a home instead of paying rent… But the bureaucracy is too much.\u201d \u2014 Zulema Calizaya Choque<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Artwork<\/a>
Artwork promoting the First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum in Bras\u00edlia on June 11. Photo: Press Release<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Rodrigues, tackling the climate crisis requires rethinking the very model of housing policy. Instead of repeating existing solutions, she argued that the housing debate should incorporate and combine new and ancestral strategies capable of guaranteeing the right to remain<\/a> in informal settlements and the right to the favela<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to look at other dimensions of housing policy and not just keep repeating what we\u2019ve already done. Good things need to be repeated, and improved. And there are things we\u2019ve never done.\u201d \u2014 Evaniza Rodrigues<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In linking housing and climate justice<\/a>, Rodrigues stated that the issues cannot be addressed separately. Families experiencing homelessness or living in precarious housing conditions are on the frontlines of the impacts of the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

Favela Community Land Trusts<\/a> were also presented as an alternative to strengthen community organizing<\/a> and enable communities to remain in place<\/a>, while expanding access to housing<\/a>. Under this model, land ownership remains collective<\/a>, while families permanently retain the right to their homes<\/a>, thereby reducing the risks of eviction and real estate speculation.<\/p>\n

By the end of the forum, there was a clear consensus among participants that tackling the climate crisis requires guaranteeing the right to housing.<\/p>\n

This path must be built through the proposals shared<\/a> by community leaders, which show that many of the solutions are already<\/a> being developed within communities themselves<\/a> and that more effective public policies<\/a> depend on recognizing and valuing their leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch the Full Video of the First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum Here<\/a>:<\/h3>\n